Pokemon Maroon (DISCONTINUED)
by Knavish
Summary: In an alternate universe, where classics such as Kanto and Pikachu don't exist, lies the Bukyo region. Aged fourteen, Heath sets off on his grand adventure, full of new excitements, brand new places to explore, and most importantly, two hundred brand new Pokemon to discover. (This story has been discontinued and will receive a rewrite later)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon – those rights go to Game Freak. I do, however, own the characters and areas mentioned in the story.**

 **A reminder that this is set in an alternate universe, where Kanto and Pikachu don't exist – rather, there are completely custom Pokémon and environments.**

 **With all that out of the way, let's begin the main event!**

Chapter 1 - The Adventure Begins!

The sun rose quietly into the sky, a mix of oranges and pinks accompanying it. Each brick house in Poketto Village shined alongside the sunrise, with red rooftops matching the pale white walls. Bright, baby blue rimed windows accompanied the bright colour scheme, only contrasted by the darkness inside each house.  
Gravel roads joined the buildings with the four main houses. A silver coloured building sat off to the left.  
A thick forest acted as the walls for Poketto Village, which just about hides a small bungalow, close to the right side.

The bungalow itself isn't important at all, but the inhabitants are. Heath Robinson, aged fourteen, lay deep in his bed, snoring lightly. His brown, flyaway hair was propped up against his pillow.  
As the sun rose higher into the sky, thin strands of sunlight began seeping onto the bed, eventually finding their way onto Heath's face. After a few minutes, he groaned, and found himself sitting up and getting out of bed.  
With his posture slouched, and his dark green eyes hidden under tired eyelids, Heath stretched, yawned, and headed for his wardrobe.  
Undressing out of his blue and white striped pyjamas, he changed into a white t-shirt and grey denim jeans, before making his way out into the kitchen.

Heath's mother was already awake, cooking up two plates of eggs and bacon. A mug, containing a pure mocha, sat on the counter, where two bar stools quietly stood. Heath pulled out the stool, sat down, and began drinking. His mother, overhearing the noise, smiled softly to herself.

"Good morning, Heath!" His mother called, her voice wafting through the air as bacon crackled in a nearby frying pan.

"Morning," Heath muttered. He took another sip, feeling himself slowly waking up.

There was silence between the two of them for a moment, as his mother served them both breakfast. Eventually, the silence was broken.

"The professor wanted to see you," his mother said, gulping down a serving of eggs.

Heath took a bite out of the bacon before responding. "What about?"

"Apparently, he finally managed to get his hands on some pokémon," His mother paused for a moment, drinking up some of her espresso, before continuing, "They're really rare, according to Aubrey. Can't be found anywhere in Bukyo."

"Then how'd they get their hands on them?" Heath had finished off his bacon by this point, and was now making a start on his eggs.

"Maybe from a shipment?"

"The only shipment they could've gotten, Mum, was from Deligram City," Heath gulped down the last of his mocha. "And that's really far from here."

"Well, you might finally be able to see Deligram City for yourself," His mother finished off her plate, collecting Heath's empty one as well. "Whatever happens, you should at least go visit him."

Heath sighed, and moved off the stool. "Let me go get dressed first."

"Your shoes are out here, remember that!" Heath chuckled, leaving his mother to clean up after breakfast while he got dressed.

Heath pulled out a dark blue zip jacket, slipping it on but not zipping it up. He nabbed a black cap off the top of his wardrobe. On the head of the cap was a white outline of Pex, which is just one of the many pokémon found within Bukyo.  
He headed for the door, slipping on his grey loafers sitting off on a shoe rack.

"I'll be back soon, Mum!" Heath called, waving at the doorway. He lowered his arm and waited a moment for his mother's response.

"Alright, see you then!" was the reply given a few seconds later. Heath nodded, twisted the door knob, and headed outside.

* * *

The sky was pure blue, a few clouds in the sky. Heath could see Kumoki floating around in the wind, following the northern current. He could hear yelling, laughing, and just talking in general coming from further on in the village.  
Taking long strides as he walked, he headed across the gravel path towards the silver laboratory. As he approached the wide building, two children of opposite gender ran past him, the young girl tripping on a small rock poking out at the edge of the path. Heath stopped awkwardly to catch her, stopping her from hitting the ground.

"You okay?" Heath helped her up, as she began to brush left over sediments clinging to her ankle.

"I'm fine!" She exclaimed, nodding her head. "Thanks Heath!"

"It's alright, Roxie." Heath watched and smiled as Roxie ran off again, looking for the boy she was chasing after seconds before.

Heath opened the door, letting himself in. Closing it quietly, he observed the main surroundings. Off the back, above three Poké Balls, was a golden logo, depicting a flask filled with some sort of liquid being poured onto a string of DNA.

"Professor?" Heath called. With no answer, he stepped forward towards the logo, eventually stepping into a brighter light.

"Heath!" Hearing his name, Heath turned around to face a young girl with long, dark pink hair. She wore a lab coat with the same logo stitched onto one of the pockets.

"Aubrey! Good to see you again!" Heath called, holding out his hand. The two shook, nodding to each other.

"I suppose you're here for the pokémon?" Aubrey asked, grabbing a nearby clipboard. Attached to the clipboard by string was a black pen.

"I've been waiting for four years, now's a good time than ever to start!" Heath answered, sarcasm visible in his voice. He smiled, before glancing over to the Poké Balls which were sitting on a nearby counter. "How'd you get these anyway?"

"We've had them for about two years now, actually." Aubrey explained, catching Heath's attention. "When we first received them, we evolved them, added them to the Pokédex, and bred them."

Heath nodded. "Makes sense. Don't want to make the same mistake as last time."

"Exactly."

"Where's the professor, actually?" Heath asked, looking around the lab.

"Professor Madrone has important work to do. It seems like he's discovered a brand-new typing, and he needs time to research it."

"Well, let's open the –"

"Not so fast." Aubrey cut off Heath, causing him to sigh.

"Why not?" Heath asked, slouching.

"We're waiting on two more. There's William, who you probably know."

Heath chuckled. "Willy's been waiting two years. Little less than me, but he's done so much more research than me."

Aubrey nodded, before continuing, "And Connor. He lives here with his Aunt. Remember Roxie?"

Heath thought back to when he stopped Roxie from falling over. "Of course, I do."

"Roxie is Connor's cousin. He's a bit to himself though."

Heath mulled the two over in his head. "So, where are they?"

As if on cue, William burst through the door, falling over behind Heath. "I'm here…!" He gasped, completely out of breath.

"Slept in, did ya?" Heath grabbed William's arm and helped him up.

"Yeah… didn't want to be late, so I ran over here," William gasped, taking in breaths where he could. Eventually he stood up, taking deeper breaths than before.

"Good, good… Then I suppose we can begin?" Aubrey asked, writing down what could be conceived as information on her clipboard.

"What about Connor?" Heath asked, looking over at Aubrey.

"He's on his way, but it's fine. I'll let you two pick first."

"Alright!" William made a mad dash for the balls. Instead of reaching them, he snapped backwards as Heath grabbed his arm.

"Hey!" He yelled, turning to face Heath. "What gives?"

"Who said you were going first?" Heath sneered, looking William in the eye.

In response, William jerked his arm back. "Fine, scissors-paper-rock?"

Heath let out a chuckled and held up a fist. "Fine by me."

William held out his fist, smiling.

"Scissors…Paper…Rock!" The two called out. William chose Paper, and Heath chose Rock.

"Hah! I win!" William yelped, throwing his open hand into the air. Heath sighed, closing his fist before opening it.

Aubrey giggled at the two, before grabbed the three Poké Balls, and throwing them forward. The clicking and noises of the three newfound pokémon caught the two boys' attention, and they turned to look at their future partners – a tiger cub, coloured green while having a metal plate on his tail; A tadpole, floating comfortably in the air, with its body moved into a zig-zag formation; and a frog, with small holes in its body that were producing wafts of smoke.  
Aubrey gestured to the three animals. "Here are the pokémon – Kuba," She pointed to the small tiger cub, which rose his posture up and smiled, "Tadshi," Next came the tadpole, who did a small flip, looking up at them with large eyes, "and Kaerog." The frog gave of a low croak, its tired eyelids covering red eyes. Neither male could tell if he was looking at them or looking at their feet.

"Who do you choose?" Aubrey lifted her hand back up, grabbing the pen and holding it above the clipboard.

William shook his head, snapping himself out of his stupor. He bound up to the pokémon, kneeling to look at them in the eye.  
"They both look so good…" He looked over the three of them, but his eyes were eventually drawn to Kaerog. "Pollucroak are really rare… so I'll pick Kaerog!" William scratched under the Kaerogs' chin, watching the small frog close its eyes and let out another croak, this one sounding like relief.

Aubrey jotted down notes on the clipboard, before looking back up at William. "Would you like to give it a name?"

William sat there for a few moments, thinking it over. Eventually, he shook his head. "I can't really think of anything, so… no, I guess not."

Aubrey continued to jot down notes nodding, before pulling off two papers and placing them in a nearby folder. "And you, Heath?"

Heath wasted no time in picking his pokémon. "I'll pick Kuba."

"Excellent choice." Aubrey started writing on third page, seemingly writing as if she was typing.

"And I won't give it a nickname."

Aubrey nodded, taking off the third page and putting it in the folder, before putting down the clipboard entirely. She grabbed two of the Poké Balls, handing them to the boys. Tadshi floated down to the ground, laying down sadly, before being sucked back into his Poké Ball.

"Now, let's get down to business." Aubrey spoke in a serious tone, catching the attention of the two boys. William returned Kaerog, while Kuba hopped up onto Heath's shoulder.

"The Professor has asked me to give you these." Aubrey pulled out two small red devices. They looked almost like books, and as Heath opened them, they revealed two small screens. Pressing the button underneath the screen on the left brought the machine to life, showing a simple title.

"Pokédex+?" William asked, staring at the strange device.

"That's one of our designs. Not only does it act as fillable encyclopedia for pokémon, it also acts as a mobile phone, a handheld console, moveset reminder, and an item teleporter. Any questions before I continue?"

Heath raised his hand, which lead to Aubrey rolling her eyes. "You don't have to raise your hand, but yes, Heath?"

"Moveset reminder? Item Teleporter?" Heath asked, looking up at Aubrey.

"The moveset reminder will show you the movesets of your pokémon, in case you forget. The Item teleporter will take items you have in your bag, such as potions or Poké Balls, and teleport them to the second screen. It also allows you to put items back in your bag."

"Awesome!" William cried, closing the Pokédex+.

"May I mention, that you will need these." Aubrey handed the two boys bags, which fit comfortably on their shoulders. "As the item transporter feature is relatively new, you will require these backpacks, as they are the ones we have used for testing."

"It feels heavy." Heath commented, slipping the Pokédex+ into one of the pockets on his jacket.

"Included with the bag are 5 Poké Balls, 3 Oran Berries, and a Potion," Aubrey explained. "The final thing I'd like to present you with is the PokéReader."

"Yes!" William exclaimed through clenched teeth. He nabbed the PokéReader out of Aubrey's hand, sifting it comfortably in his ear. Heath, not knowing what the device was or what it was capable of, followed in William's movements.

"This is automatically connected to your Pokédex+. It acts as a microphone, although it is capable of much more."

"Like?" Heath asked. William's jaw dropped, as he stared at Heath in shock.  
"What do you mean, like?!" William yelled, scaring Kuba off Heath's shoulder.

"Calm yourself William." Aubrey spoke, to which William obeyed. She then turned to face Heath. "The PokéReader can show you your pokémon's type, how hurt they are, how experienced they are, and how much closer they are to evolving, using a term known as 'levels'. It's perfect for any trainer, especially technical and impatient ones."

"How do I use it?" Heath asked, William groaning in the background.

"Simply put your hand on the main circle, and swipe in front of your face." Aubrey explained.

Heath did what he was told, and his vision turned to blue for a split second. When he turned to face Kuba, he saw a small circle underneath him, with two bars etching off it. In the circle was a leaf, with the top bar filled with yellow, and the bottom bar filled a quarter of the way with blue. The words 'Kuba' sat at the top of the yellow bar, with the letters, 'L.V' next to it. The number five was at the end of the long line of text.

"The yellow bar is their health, the blue bar is how much more they've got to go until they, 'level up', and the L-V is their level now. When the blue bar fills up, the number counts, and it'll keep doing that until it hits one hundred." Aubrey explained.

"And the leaf?" Heath asked, flicking the screen back into the reader.

"That's the pokémon's typing." Heath nodded slowly, while Kuba, curious of his newfound trainer's actions, looked up at him.

"Ku?" he asked, knocking Heath out of his stupor.

"It's fine Kuba. Don't worry." Heath flicked his hand in the air, shaking his head. Kuba looked down, before being sucked back into his Poké Ball.

"Well," Aubrey sighed deeply, smiling at the two. "That's about it, really. There's over two hundred pokémon in Bukyo, so you boys should be able to fill that Pokédex up to one hundred at least."

"Well, I know what I'm doing," William spoke, catching the two's attention. "I'll be filling out the Pokédex as best as I can."

"While you do that," Heath added, "I'll grab up the rights as Champion of Bukyo."

"Well, you both have ambitious goals." Aubrey smiled. "You go get started, and I'll wait for Connor."

"Connor!" Heath snapped his fingers. "Almost forgot about him!"

"Who's Connor?" William asked quietly, looking at Heath.

"Roxie's cousin." Heath answered. William rose his head with a small, "Ah…," before turning for the door.

"Come on, Heath!" The boy in question turned to face William, who was holding the door open. "I'll meet you at Route one for a pokémon battle!"

"You do that!" Heath called after him. "There's a few things I gotta do first!"

"Don't keep me waiting!" And with that, William was gone.

Heath turned to face Aubrey, smiling gently. "It was good to see you again."

"You too." Aubrey answered with her own smile. "Now go on. William's waiting."

Heath nodded, and exited back out into Poketto Village. His adventure was only just beginning.

 **Finishing Note: And that's the first chapter over and done with! I spent all of 2016 working on the Pokédex, the region, and everything of it, so I can't wait to really get into this story. Let me know what you think of it, and I hope to update soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, Game Freak does. However, the characters used are mine. For terms of use of these characters, environments, and anything else appearing in the story, check my profile. Also, as this my first work of fanfiction, I would appreciate some constructed criticism on how to improve them.  
With all that out of the way, let's continue.**

Slowly, the door creaked open as Heath stepped through. He closed it shut, giving a soft sigh, before dropping his newfound bag to the ground.

"Mum!" Heath called, walking towards the kitchen. "I'm back!"

His mother wasn't in the kitchen, but further on, in a small sunroom hidden away. She smiled as Heath entered the room. "So, what did the professor have for you?"

Heath smiled, reaching into his right jacket pocket, pulling out the glossy ball. He threw it forward, Kuba jumping out in an explosion of white and sparks.

"Kuba!" he cried, landing comfortably on the carpet floor. His mother smiled, looking at the small tiger with curiosity. Heath himself sat down on a nearby sofa, letting Kuba jump onto his lap, laying down and purring softly.

"That's…," His mother stared at the creature a little bit more, before looking up at her son. "What is that, actually?"

Heath smiled. "This is Kuba."

"And?" His mother asked. "Nothing else? Didn't the professor give you a Pokédex?"

Heath's eyes widened, as he went to make a grab for the Pokédex+, pushing Kuba awkwardly off his lap.

"Sorry Kuba," Heath muttered, pulling out the device. He opened it up, selected Scan mode on the first screen, and pointed it over Kuba. The device began to speak in a monochrome sort of voice.

"Kuba, the Tiger Cub Pokémon. Ability is Status Armour. Kuba are excitable and always like to battle. If they get hurt, special veins hidden in their tails will slowly heal them over time."

"Hm." His mother sat back up in her chair, crossing her legs. "Looks like you'll be busy."

Heath didn't hear a word his mother said, instead clicking a flashing button above ability. The device began to speak again.

"The ability Status Armour prevents a pokémon from receiving burns, poison, and paralysis."

His mother nodded. "Status Armour is a good ability to have in battle. You should be safe against most Pokémon."

Yet again, Heath still wasn't interested, tapping the final button at the bottom of the screen.

"This pokémon knows the moves Pound, Leer, and Razor Leaf." The voice spoke, before crackling to a close as Heath pushed the power button.

"That's the good thing about your starter," His mother began, finally bringing Heath's attention towards her. "For it to be level five, that means you get a powerful grass type move the moment it becomes yours."

Heath raised an eyebrow, stroking Kuba as she re-settled on his lap. "When does he normally learn it?"

"Most pokémon learn a more powerful move around level three to level six." His mother explained. Heath smiled, looking down at Kuba, who had begun to purr softly.

"You'll be great partners together, I just know it." His mother gave him a big smile, before standing up. "I shouldn't keep you though. Knowing William, he'd probably wanted to battle you for real this time."

Heath thought back to when he was a young child, playing with William and having fake Pokémon Battles. Heath usually won, but sometimes William won too. "It'll be good to see who really is the winner of those."

His mother patted him on the back as Heath called back Kuba, stood up himself, and gave his mother a hug.

"I'll make sure to call often." He muttered, clutching tightly. "I love you, Mum."

"I love you too, sweetie." His mother let go, keeping one of her hands on his shoulder. "Now go on. Send me a picture of Hunter Island, if you do end up going there."

Heath nodded. "I will, Mum." The two had one final hug, before his mum followed him to the door.

"Here," His mother handed him a sack, to which Heath opened to find around one thousand PokéDollars sitting inside. "Use this to buy some Poké Balls and Potions once you reach Moki Town."

Heath nodded, and after one last final wave, he grabbed his bag and exited his old home, his goals set before him.

* * *

Upon reaching Route One, he found a small note taped on the entrance sign to Poketto Village. Ripping the paper note off, he pulled it down and took a read. It was from William, and he began to read it aloud.

"I couldn't be bothered waiting for you, so I went off ahead. I'll meet you at Moki Town! Signed, William." Heath sighed, shaking his head. "Of course he couldn't wait…"

Heath rolled up the note, slipping it in his bag before treading forward. Almost instantly a small fox cub with two long, black lines for eyes jumped out of the surrounding woodland, sitting down in front of Heath. Fumbling, he pulled out the Pokédex+, focusing it on the small Pokémon.

"Fostal, the Fox Cub Pokémon. Fostal love trainers and are always hanging out on routes where trainers are most likely to be. It is known that some Fostal give themselves up rather than battle."

"Well that's good to know." Heath chuckled, pulling out a Poké Ball. The Fostal's eyes lit up as it dived towards the Poké Ball, and after a few shakes, became registered as caught.

Heath picked up the ball, and placed it on the right screen of the Pokédex+, watching it fizz and disappear. He then closed the device, and continued onwards towards one of the longer patches of grass, which appeared to be slightly taller than the rest.  
Entering the long grass was a breeze, until he felt his foot step on something short. From there he heard a yelp, and a small chipmunk jumped out of the grass. The chipmunk had a slightly longer tail and held an acorn in his right paw. Heath, still holding the Pokédex+, opened it back up and scanned the poor pokémon, who was massaging its tail while growling at the newfound trainer.

"Shimari, the Chipmunk Pokémon," The device spoke, crackling slightly. "The acorn it carries holds most of their power. If it loses the acorn, Shimari will search for it until the end of time."

"Shi!" The pokémon cried, growling angrily at Heath. The Shimari held its acorn close, glaring daggers towards the poor trainer's direction.

Heath fumbled for a moment, before pulling out Kuba's ball. He threw it forward, and in an explosion of light and colours, the tiger cub jumped out, landing softly in the grass. She seemed to be grinning, staring down at her newfound opponent.

Seeing the newfound challenge, the Shimari quickly made copies of itself, before backing out to store in energy. Kuba's eyes widened as he stared at the multiple copies in confusion, unsure of which one was the real Shimari.

"Kuba!" Heath called, grabbing the attention of the small pokémon. "Use Razor Leaf!"

Kuba nodded, before roaring. The roar was more of a loud meow, but it caused a swarm of sharp leaves to rise around her. Then, she jolted her head forward, causing all the leaves to simultaneously shoot towards the Shimari and its clones. Each of the clones quickly disintegrated, leaving the original to quickly be bombarded. The chipmunk lost hold of its acorn as it bumped across the grass.  
"Shimar!" The small pokémon turned around in fear. Forgetting the battle at hand, it scampered towards the fallen acorn.  
"Now Kuba! Use Pound!" Heath called, pointing towards the fleeing pokémon. Kuba ran towards Shimari, picking up speed, until eventually he jumped, slamming into Shimari with such force that the poor creature flew through the air, holding on to the tip of its acorn. It landed roughly on the ground, crying out in pain.  
While Kuba was speeding towards Shimari, Heath pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it forward. It hit Shimari square on the head, sucking the creature into itself. The ball landed softly on the ground, with a small click sound.

Heath pumped his fist as Kuba cried triumphantly. He began to make his way towards the ball, when it shook. Heath stopped, staring at the ball with curiosity.

The ball shook two more times, before letting out a soft 'ding', with stars shooting out from the sides. Once he was sure it had stopped shaking, he picked it up, storing it in his bag.  
Suddenly a loud sound, which disappeared as quickly as it came, burst through Heath's eardrums, as he turned to face Kuba, who had leveled up, with the counter now showing the number six. The Pokédex+ gave off a small chime, letting Heath know that Kuba had learned Leech Seed, adding itself to the movepool.  
"Kuba!" Kuba cried, snuggling herself into Heath's jeans. Heath knelt down to pet Kuba, watching her melt into the grass.  
"Heh, good job, Kuba!" Heath exclaimed, putting away the two Poké Balls, before standing up. "Come on, only a bit to go, then we'll get to Moki Town."

"Ku!" Kuba nodded, getting up to follow Heath. The boy smiled, before continuing.

* * *

A short while later the duo arrived at Moki Town. Heath stood at the edge of the area, observing his surroundings.  
Right near the entrance was a semi-long road that lead to a Pokémon Centre. Multiple houses sat on side streets, and further up past the centre was a small gathering area, with a Poké Mart close by.  
Heath sighed, waving his hand forward as he stepped into Moki Town, Kuba following intently. The two headed over to the Pokémon Centre, with Heath putting Kuba back in her ball to heal her. Heath handed the balls over to the nurse behind the counter, before relaxing on a nearby couch.  
"Hey, are you Heath?" Heath jumped, looking wildly around until he made eye contact with a young boy. The boy had short blonde hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin. He wore a blue polo shirt and yellow board shorts.

"Who are you?" Heath asked, turning his body to face the boy.

"My name is Connor. I was told to look for a guy with a Pex cap." Connor explained. A small lightbulb went off in Heath's head, as he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm Heath." He stuck his hand out, to which Connor shook. "Good to meet you."

"You too." Connor pulled away from the handshake, sitting down on the couch to talk to Heath. "I wouldn't mind a battle. My dad gave me a really good pokémon to work alongside my starter, so I'd love to try it out." He explained, Heath listening intently.

"Well, what level is your pokémon?" Heath asked.

"It's been bred especially for me, and its level ten."

Heath gave a small smile, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "My strongest pokémon is level six, so…"

Connor's face fell, and for a moment there was an awkward silence. The nurse soon came over with Heath's balls, which he took, mouthing a small 'thank you'. Eventually, Heath broke the silence.

"William might give you a battle, though. He's a more technical trainer, and his strongest pokémon is around level 14."

"What pokémon is it?" Connor asked, looking back up to face Heath.

"I believe it's a Desune. It used to be a pet for William but as time passed, he began to train it so when he did leave the nest, he would have a strong pokémon to back up his starter." Heath explained. Connor put a hand to his chin, mulling it over, before nodding.

"Yeah, that sounds alright."

Heath stood up, Connor following suit. "Well, he wanted to battle me here, so I guess we'll go look for him." He motioned for Connor to follow him, which he did.

As they left the Pokémon Centre, the two noticed a large commotion going on near the main gathering place. With questioning looks, the boys forgot about the goal and went to see what all the noise was about.

"Your attention, please!" A booming voice echoed across Moki Town, silencing it. Heath stared at the speaker, who was a tall figure with a black leather jacket on. His face was covered, and grunts on either side of him held up flags, which depicted a Poké Ball with a cross covering it.

"Today we are here to ask a question." The figure spoke, looking around the crowd. "What do your Pokémon really mean to you? What do you use them for? Would you consider yourselves to have a good relationship with them?"

The crowd sparked into murmur as the figure took a sip from his wine glass, which was sitting close by on a fold up table. He put down the glass, and continued to speak.

"The answer to those questions vary from person to person. But one result is always clear – Pokémon are our friends. Except this isn't the truth.  
"In reality, these creatures that we work with daily; they all have the power to kill us. They could easily burn, poison, paralyse, or beat us to the point of extinction, and for the most part, we can't do anything about it.  
"So, before they end us, we need to end them."

The crowd exploded into chatter, arguing whether or not this was true, or if the guy was loony, or even if he was just another drunk. Heath's eyes widened as he stared at the figure.

"This guy's insane…" He muttered, watching as he put down his wine glass, which was now empty.

"We ask simply that you watch those creatures. Watch their every movement, and make sure you're conscious of their actions. Without the proper knowledge, and when you become blinded by friendship and trust, that's when they'll strike, and they will leave you for dead.

"We are Team Revolution, and we will save humanity from these horrible, horrible creatures.  
"That is all. Continue your day with caution."

The figure stepped back and, with the grunts in tow, left Moki Town.

After he left, the crowd broke out into talking, wondering what the figure meant, and if they should follow what he said or not. As the crowd dispersed, William bounded over to Heath, questioning him about the matter.

"What do you think of those guys?" William asked. Heath and Connor turned to face the boy, deep in thought.

"He's insane. Why would pokémon – something that hasn't hurt a soul – suddenly turn the backs and do… that?" Heath answered, putting his hands in his jeans pockets.

"I don't believe them for a second, but maybe I should be a little more careful." William responded, causing Heath to raise an eyebrow. "The possibility could exist, although extremely small."

"Well, I think they're just a bunch of loons." Heath responded. "I wonder how he even got that idea inside their heads?"

"I've heard," Connor began, catching the two boys' attention. "that they don't use pokémon. Rather, they use creatures they've created through pokémon experimentation."

"That's dark…" William mulled it over in his head, before raising an eyebrow. "Who are you, anyway?"

"This is Connor." Heath answered. "Remember? From the lab?"

"Oh yeah!" William responded, smiling confidently at Connor. "Nice to meet you, Connor!"

"You too." Connor muttered, slightly unnerved by his enthusiasm.

"Any who," Heath began, bringing the attention to him. "Connor here wants a battle, and if I remember correctly, so do you."

"I'd rather have my battle with you first." William smiled. "I've made sure that this would be a fair fight."

"Alright." Heath turned to face Connor. "You okay to wait a bit?"

Connor shrugged. "Fine by me."

Heath chuckled, pulling out Kuba's ball. "Alright then, let's get this show on the road."

"I won't hold anything back!" William cried, pulling out his own identical ball.

As a small crowd began to gather, the two threw their balls forward, each one exploding in a bath of light. It was time for the real battle to begin.

 **Finishing Note: That's the end of chapter 2. I hope you've enjoyed this latest instalment of Maroon.**

 **I can't say when I will update this again, but hopefully, it won't be another month until chapter 3 arrives. But, with that being said, I hope you'll stick with this story anyway (despite lack of updates)!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, Game Freak does. However, the characters used are mine. For terms of use of these characters, environments, and anything else appearing in the story, check my profile.**

In a brief moment, the two starting trainers had their partners by their side – Heath with his newfound Shimari, and William with a strange pokémon Heath had never seen before. The pokémon looked to have a hard shell covering itself, and it had no eyes or mouth, from what he could see. Heath pulled his Pokédex+ out from his pocket to scan the strange creature.

"Yowa, the Trilobite Pokémon." The device spoke, its familiar crackling sounding out through the crowd. "Yowa bury themselves under the ground and only come out when it rains. Finding a Yowa on a clear day is very rare. This pokémon is registered to Pokémon Trainer William."

"Heh, what do you think of that?" William laughed. Once he'd finished, he smirked, before pointing his finger forward. "Let's get this party started! Yowa, use Rock Throw!"  
The small pokémon obliged, lifting a small rock almost out of thin air. He threw it forward, watching it fly through the air.  
"Shimari!" Heath called. "Dodge it and use… uh…" He stuttered, trying to remember Shimari's moves. As Shimari dodged the flying rock, Heath opened the Pokédex+ to look at its movepool.

"This Pokémon knows Bide, Double Team, and Defence Curl." The device spoke, before crackling into silence. The crowd had begun to cheer for either sides, encouraging the two sides to give it their all.  
"Really, Heath?" William asked, folding his arms. "I would've thought you looked that up before the battle." He shrugged, smiling again. "Oh, well. This makes the battle a little bit easier. Yowa, follow up with Rock Tomb!"

This time, Heath believed he was prepared. "Shimari, dodge it, and prepare a Bide!"  
Yowa at this point had thrown multiple large boulders towards Shimari in a similar fashion to the move it used earlier. Out of complete panic, Shimari dodged most of them then tried to back out to store energy, when it was hit by one final boulder. It flew through the air, dropping its acorn in the process. The boulder caught Shimari's leg, causing it to cry out in pain.

"Shimari!" Heath called, feeling worry for his pokémon's health. "Return!" He fumbled out Shimari's Poké Ball and called it back, watching as it grabbed its acorn just before zipping back into the ball. "How many pokémon do you have?" Heath asked, tossing Kuba's Poké Ball forward. William smirked.  
"I only brought two. What, you getting tired already?" He unfolded his arms, shrugging. "Maybe I should've waited a bit longer back at Poketto."  
Kuba popped out of her ball, staring down her opponent. The Yowa didn't appear to making much movement, which confused Kuba slightly. If it wasn't for Heath, she might've gone over and prodded it a bit, to make sure it was still alive.

"Come on Kuba!" He cried, catching Kuba's attention. "Use Razor Leaf!"  
While Kuba prepared the attack, William snickered. "Really? Bringing out your starter already?  
"Well, I can live with that. Yowa, dodge it and use Fury Swipes!"  
Thick claws suddenly slipped out from under Yowa, and almost flew across the grass, aiming for Kuba's legs. Seeing this, Kuba's eyes widened and, without Heath saying anything, jumped to avoid the claws. Yowa jumped back, missing Kuba by an inch, and while trying to land, he was hit by the coming leaves. He screeched in pain, landing upside down on the grass. Heath noticed that the creature did indeed have a mouth, but it didn't have any eyes.

Kuba landed on the grass, her pupils constricted. Heath let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, staring at William with his mouth agape.  
"You should activate your PokéReader, Heath." William shook his head, before opening his eyes and seeing Heath's stare. "What? Did you forget about it already?"

Heath closed his open jaw, slipping his finger across the circular pad. Sure enough, the familiar bars and lines of text appeared, and from there he could see that Yowa had been knocked down to half, and that Kuba was fine.  
All of sudden Kuba's health went down as she was attacked by Yowa. This brought Heath back to the battle at hand, where Yowa fled back to its trainer while Kuba had a terrible scratch mark across her back.  
"KU!" Kuba yelped, looking up at Heath upsettingly. The boy mouthed an apology before looking up to face William, his fist clenched and his teeth grinding.  
"You'll pay for that! Kuba, Leech Life!" Heath called, pointing his finger forward. Kuba got up and stomped the ground, making seeds pop up. Using her tail, she swatted them forward, and watched as they planted themselves underneath Yowa. Soon, Yowa had shrunk down in pain as his life energy was sapped, healing Kuba from her previous injury.  
William stepped backwards in surprise, his mouth open. He quickly closed it, however, and smirked. "Finally, things are getting interesting! Yowa, Rock Throw again!"

"Dodge it, quickly! Then use Pound!" Heath followed. Kuba dodged the small rock completely, before charging at the trilobite.

"Yowa, use – Yowa?!" William stared at the small pokémon, watching him frozen in place. He realised it was an effect of the Leech Life. He began to panic. "Yowa, dodge it! Do something!"

But it was too late. Kuba threw herself at Yowa, and Heath whispered a silent, "Yes!" as the pokémon's life bar flickered down to zero.

"Yowa, return." William called back the fallen pokémon, looking over at Heath and Kuba, who were both smiling triumphantly.

"Well, time for the real battle." He shrugged, shaking his head, causing the duo to lose their happy expressions. "Go, Kaerog!"

The polluted frog slipped out of the Poké Ball, its smog worse than ever. "Rog…" He muttered, heaving.

"Kaerog, use Ember!" William cried, pointing forward. Kaerog took a breather, and when he breathed out, a purple fireball shot out from its mouth. It came out so fast and so suddenly that Heath was thrown off-guard, and Kuba took the full extent of the attack. It cried out, and Heath watched as its health shot down to about a quarter of what it originally was.  
"What?!" Heath called, running his head through the parts of his hair that wasn't covered by the cap. "I – um – " He stuttered, not sure what to do. Kuba was slowly getting up, and as it was it glared at Kaerog, and William watched as Kaerog lowered his defence slightly.  
'Wow, even Kuba knows more than Heath…' William thought, his eyebrow raised. "Kaerog, give them your best Growl!" Kaerog, in response, gave off a very heavy croak. To most, this was a poor attempt, but it apparently wasn't, because Kuba stepped backwards out of fear.  
"Uh – Kuba, use Leech Seed!" Heath called out, causing William to roll his eyes.

Despite performing the action, when it sucked Kaerog of its energy, it didn't same to take much.  
"What?" Heath questioned, looking surprised. William sighed, facepalming.  
"Don't you even know the basics?" William asked, catching Heath's attention. "Kaerog, finish this off with Ember."

"Kuba, dodge quickly!" Heath cried, but his attempt was in vain. He watched as Kuba's health instantly shot down to zero.  
The crowd began to cheer for William, as Heath returned Kuba, feeling sorry for himself. William sighed, before continuing to speak as Heath sent out Fostal. "Fire is weak to water, water is weak to grass, and grass is weak to fire. It's simple stuff, everyone knows tha –"

"Fostal, use Quick Attack, repeatedly!" Heath called, interrupting William out of sheer panic. Fostal, after a small moment, began to rapidly home in on Kaerog, doing a tiny amount of damage to his health. William sighed, realising what was going on.

"You didn't train any of your pokémon, did you? You just trained your starter." William sighed, looking down for a moment. "And here I thought I was going to get a good battle out of you. Kaerog, Flame Charge that blur."

By this point the crowd had dispersed, knowing who the true winner was. Once Fostal went down, Heath called her back, but before he could send out Shimari, William stopped him.

"Stop, man. You've lost." He said, calling back Kaerog. Heath sighed, slipping the ball back into his bag. William approached the trainer, holding out his hand. "But I had fun, none the less."

After a short moment, Heath took William's hand and shook it, forcing a smile onto his face. "Well, we should heal up. At least you'll get a battle out of Connor."  
Connor, who had been watching alongside the crowd, walked up to the two. "Indeed. I can't wait for our battle, William."

William let go of Heath's hand, and smiled. "Yeah, looking forward to seeing what your team is like! I'll go heal up and grab my Desune." And with that, William was gone.

Heath sighed and, feeling sorry for himself, began to walk over to the Pokémon Centre. He was stopped, however, by Connor's arm.

"Hey, Heath, don't make it too hard on yourself." He smiled, moving his hand to pat Heath on the back.

"I lost to someone I thought I could beat. And I was doing so well…" Heath muttered looking down at his feet.

"Hey, look at me." Connor said, sounding determined. Heath lifted his head up and turned it to face Connor. "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."

Heath smiled, feeling a little bit better. "Heh, yeah, I guess you're right."

Connor smiled at Heath, before looking up. "William's heading to the Poké Mart, so you should go heal up. We'll wait for you."

Heath nodded, and in an instant, he was back to his old self again. "Alright, see you in a bit!"

Connor waved as Heath ran off to the centre. As Heath grew further and further away, Connor sighed, losing the smile and putting a finger to his ear, where there was a hidden transceiver.

"Did you get all that?" He asked, waiting for someone to respond. Sure enough, there was a response on the other end.  
"Sure did. Keep his confidence up, maybe travel with him. He could make a fine member." The voice responded. Connor nodded, despite the voice not being able to see it.

"Got it. I'll talk to you again when I'm free."

"Good luck with your mission, admin." And with that, the voice crackled away. Connor moved his hand away, turning around to see William running up to him.

"Alright, I'm good to go, so let's get started!" He cried, pulling out a Poké Ball. He was stopped by Connor, who waggled his finger.

"I said I'd wait for Heath to come back, so he can watch and learn." He responded, moving his hand down.

"Ah, right." William responded. There was an awkward silence between the two, before William decided to break it. "How are you related to Roxie, anyway?"

"Roxie?" Connor asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who's Roxie?"

William looked at Connor in disbelief. 'Something's up,' He thought to himself, before properly responding. "Never mind, just heard some rumours."

Connor chuckled, closing his eyes and folding his arms. William stepped backwards – his chuckle sounded dark and menacing, as if he was standing on the edge of a cliff and this was the boy that pushed him off. "Rumours are carried by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots." He opened his eyes, staring right into William's soul, sending shivers up the young boy's spine. "Obviously, you are worse than an idiot."

William suddenly felt extremely hot and angry, and he growled at Connor. "I'm gonna make you eat those words!"

Connor snickered, unfolding his arms and pulling a strange type of Poké Ball off his belt. The ball was purple at the top, but William swore that the top of it seemed to be moving, as if it were transparent and there was simply purple goop inside. "I'd like to see you try."

The two's dispute was interrupted by Heath running back. "Thanks for waiting for me, guys."

Suddenly, Connor's entire personality changed. He looked more friendly, rather than intimating, and his tone changed to match that too. "It's alright, Heath. Anything for a friend."

"Enough!" William yelled, lifting his Poké Ball high in the air. "Let's settle this!"

"Woah." Heath whistled, turning to face Connor. "What happened while I was gone?"

Connor simply shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me." He turned to face William, who was grinding his teeth, his ball ready. "But fine, let's do it."

 **Finishing Note: A slightly smaller chapter than the last, but it looks like Heath has got a lot more to learn. Plus, what's up with Connor?  
Okay, questions aside, let me know what you think of this latest instalment. It was my first time writing a trainer battle, so I'd love to know what people thought of it, or if they could improve upon it. Despite this, I'm writing chapter 4 now, so it will hopefully be up soon.  
With that all said and done, I'll see you in the next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Ah, the glory of copy and pasting. *Ahem*, I don't own Pokémon, Game Freak does. However, the characters used are mine. For terms of use of these characters, environments, and anything else appearing in the story, check my profile.**

William threw his ball forward, and in a similar fashion to before, a large fox with darker colours than normal and thin black eyes jumped out of the Poké Ball. Curious, Heath scanned the new pokémon.

"Desune, the Fox Pokémon. When a Desune can't find their trainer, they leave a sweet scent that only humans can smell on the area around them. This pokémon is registered to Pokémon Trainer William." The device responded. William smirked as Desune yelped. Another crowd had begun to gather, in hopes of watching a more formidable battle.

Connor simply smiled, tossing his strange ball into the air. Rather than open, the ball exploded, and a purple monster flopped onto the ground like liquid. It then began to try and shape itself, until it looked like a melting blot. The crowd gasped, and Heath attempted to scan it for more information.

Rather than respond with its name, the device crackled and glitched, and through the jumbled code appearing on its screen, two words appeared, and Heath read them aloud, "Thinner… Blot?"  
Heath switched the device off to avoid further corruption, and looked up to watch the battle at hand, fearing the strange pokémon that Connor sent out.

"Thinner Blot?" William questioned, before folding his arms and smirking. "Well, that doesn't matter anyway. Desune, kick this off with Pound!"  
Connor snickered. "Really? Pound? Oh wait, I forgot – Desune has a terrible moveset." His snicker broke out into a laugh, and as Desune was just about to hit the blot, Connor stopped laughing to give a command. "Shadow Rush."

Desune was suddenly caught in mid-air by a heavy tackle from the blot, which seemed to break the sound barrier simply by pushing forward at the last second. Desune flew through the air, yelping in pain, and Heath, still with his PokéReader active, watched her health demolish to at least half of its original number. Obviously, William knew that too, because he stepped backwards out of shock, and he began to look extremely worried.  
Connor laughed again, slowly stopping himself as Desune stood up. He sighed, pulling out a strange ball with a glass top. "This is my strongest creature, so how's this," He spoke, lifting the top of the ball up. "Once I beat this Desune, I'll call back Ottoko. Deal?"  
William went quiet, before responding. "Deal."  
As soon as the words had left his mouth, Connor instantly told Ottoko to use 'Shadow Half'.

Desune collapsed instantly, and William watched in shock as the blot slipped back into the new ball. Connor slipped the ball back into his pocket, replacing it with a normal Poké Ball. William did the same, but before he threw it, he held up his other hand. "Wait."  
Connor huffed, folding his arms. "What is it?"  
"How many pokémon do you have?"  
"Two." Connor answered, throwing his ball forward.  
The pokémon that came out of Connor's ball was something Heath had never seen before. It appeared to be a small green bird, with bright yellow eyes. He pulled out the Pokédex+, turning it on and proceeding to scan the creature, hoping it wouldn't corrupt again. It didn't.

"Chakari, the Chick Pokémon. Chakari love humans, and are always willing to help. But if they meet a mean trainer, then they attempt to put them in their place. This pokémon is registered to Pokémon Trainer Connor."  
"Chakari, huh…?" Heath muttered, watching as the small bird looked back to Connor, smiling, before turning back onto the battle, his face changing to a more determined one.  
"I've never seen that Pokémon before…" William thought aloud, scratching his head.  
"That's probably because they're not native to Bukyo." Connor responded. He folded his arms, smiling. "But are we gonna talk? Or are we gonna fight?"  
William let out a quick laugh, throwing his ball forward. "Alright then, we'll kick this off with Rock Throw!"

As Yowa came out of the ball, he brought a rock with him, throwing it forward as he landed on the grass. The rock hit the bird square on the head, causing it to squawk out of fright.  
Connor smiled. "You alright, Kari?" He asked, with the bird squawking determinedly in response. "Alright, let's show him who's boss. Razor Leaf!"

Chakari lifted its wings, and from them razor sharp leaves shot out, aiming for Yowa.  
"Dodge, quickly!" Yowa attempted to dodge, avoiding nearly all of them but getting hit by the last few. His health shrank, but he still had at least three quarters left. "Fury Cutter, now!"  
"Bullet Seed." Chakari opened its mouth, and fired 5 separate seeds towards Yowa at breakneck speed. They all hit on target, not only stopping the attack but dropping Yowa down to half health.  
William growled, clenching his fist. "Don't let him get away! Rock Tomb!"  
Connor simply watched as Yowa threw multiple rocks towards Chakari. He told Chakari to dodge, but the small bird was quickly smashed down by the rocks. Still, the bird stood up, determined to keep going.  
"Cotton Guard, then use Razor Leaf." Connor ordered, and the little bird followed. He covered himself with his feathers forming a cotton-like shield, before opening his wings again, sending leaves flying straight for Yowa. Luckily, Yowa managed to dodge every single leaf this time, before shooting towards Chakari with his claws out.  
Connor watched on, seeing Chakari fall to a quarter of its original health. Heath still watched on in awe of the entire thing.

"If it wasn't for that defence boost, it would've been curtains closed for Chakari…" He commented, watching Connor order Chakari to use Razor Leaf once more.  
As the leaves spiralled through the air, William noticed that it was becoming predictable. He watched as Yowa easily dodged the leaves, so he decided to give one final command. "Finish this off with Rock Throw!" 

Yowa threw the rock forward, and just as Chakari dodged it, Yowa burned through him using his claws. Chakari fell to the ground, unconscious.  
"You did well, friend." Connor recalled the fallen pokémon, pulling out another ball. William raised an eyebrow when he saw that the ball was just a standard Poké Ball, and not the one Connor used at the start.  
"Hey!" He called out, just as Connor was about to throw the ball. "You said you had two pokémon!"

"I do." Connor replied, staring at William in confusion.  
"But that's your third!"  
"Ottoko isn't a pokémon, he's a creation." Connor huffed, waving his hand in a shooing fashion as he threw the ball forward. "I'll explain later."  
A very familiar pokémon popped out of the ball, and Heath scanned it to see why.  
"Tadshi, the Tadpole Pokémon. Tadshi are weak and usually travel in schools. They can't walk on land, so when battling they have limited movement. This pokémon is registered to –" The device was cut off as Heath shut it off. "Yeah, yeah, I know, I know…" He muttered, focusing back on the battle.

"So, you did get the other starter!" William cried, staring at Tadshi, who, once they made eye contact, growled angrily at him.  
"What were you expecting?" Connor asked, looking even more confused. "I was supposed to get one."  
William gaped, closing his jaw after a bit, and shook his head. "It – It's fine, I – what?!" William stuttered. While he was trying to speak, Connor had ordered Tadshi to use Water Pulse, and the first attack was the one to finally put Yowa out of order. William recalled the trilobite, reaching for his final ball. "It comes down to this, then… go, Kaerog!"

The fiery frog flopped onto the grass, the final pokémon in William's arsenal, and the one with the biggest type disadvantage. But William was determined to win, despite the disadvantages he was facing.  
"Kaerog, start off with Growl!" The frog gave off another low croak, but Tadshi stood its ground, not showing any signs that it had changed. "What?"  
"You expect a move like that to do anything?" Connor asked, smirking. "Tadshi, Tearful Look."

Tadshi suddenly began to tear up. Kaerog began to feel slightly guilty, pushing himself away from the battle for a short moment. It was this time that Connor decided to attack. "Water Gun."

"Kaerog, dodge! Quick!" William cried, but it was to no avail. In his guilt, he didn't notice the attack until the last second and received the full brunt force of it. His health didn't drop all the way, rather, it dropped to half, but Kaerog still felt weakened despite it all.

William, not one to have his spirit fall, kept going. "Kaerog, dodge any attacks that Tadshi throws, then Tackle!" He whispered, kneeling to speak to Kaerog on his level. Kaerog gave off another low croak, preparing itself for anything coming its way.  
Connor raised an eyebrow. "Your frog's got heart, Will, but it won't help him. Tadshi, Water Pulse."  
Tadshi nodded, before exploding into a field of water, covering and surprising Kaerog. As Tadshi reformed itself, Kaerog began to stumble around, unable to see due to the water in its eyes.

"Kaerog, Tackle, now!" William cried, but Kaerog couldn't see properly. He attempted to tackle, but instead slammed his head onto the ground. That final failure was enough to knock Kaerog unconscious, rendering Connor as the winner.

William sighed sadly, recalling the fallen starter. Connor gave Tadshi a well-deserved Oran Berry, before recalling it back into its Poké Ball. He walked up to William, and held out his hand. "Good match." After a moment, William walked away from Connor, not shaking his hand – rather, he headed to the Pokémon Centre to heal. Heath wandered over to Connor as the crowd dispersed, talking amongst themselves about a 'sore loser' and how 'those battles were brilliant'.

"Hey, that was a really good battle!" Heath commented, patting Connor on the back. "I told you it would work out!"  
Connor smiled, turning to face Heath. "Heh, yeah, I guess you're right."  
Heath nodded, before walking off, gesturing for Connor to follow him. "C'mon, let's go heal up."  
"Right behind you." Connor responded, following Heath.

* * *

As the two entered the centre, and gave their balls to the nurse, Heath found William sitting sullenly on a couch that was facing them. After excusing himself away from Connor, Heath sat down to comfort and help his friend.  
"Hey, William!" Heath's cheery voice brought a smile back to William's face as he looked up.  
"Hey, Heath. What'd you think of the battle?" He asked. Heath made himself comfortable next to him, before speaking.  
"I think you did pretty well! If it wasn't for that thinner blot, you might've won." Heath answered. When William sighed, his smile fell.  
"What's up, Will?" He asked, feeling worried for his friend.  
"It's Connor, I…," he began, trying to find the right words. "I asked him about Roxie – how he was related, and why we've never heard about him until now."

"Right…?" Heath responded, unsure of where the conversation was going.  
"He told me he had no idea who Roxie is."  
Heath stared at William for a moment, before letting out a short laugh. "Seriously? You sure he isn't joking with you or anything?"  
"I'm sure. He literally had no idea."  
"Well, where's this conversation going then?" Heath asked, confused. "Are we gonna talk about Connor's forgetfulness, or –"  
Heath was cut off by William, who asked him a question that made him stop in his tracks. "How you could you forget your own family?"  
There was silence between the two of them, before William continued. "Look, Connor isn't who he says he is. Don't believe a word he says, and don't ever trust him fully. He could even be a part of that weird group from before for all we know."  
In response to this, Heath simply laughed, awkwardly. "Isn't that stretching it a bit far?"  
"It's still a possibility." William answered.

When they went quiet, the boy in question walked over to them and sat down, handing Heath back his pokémon. Connor sighed, pulling out two more balls, except these ones looked different. They were completely red, with black curving around the edge. The black seemed to have caused dents in the ball, making it snugly fit in a trainer's hand. Heath stared at it in curiosity, while William stared at it in shock.  
After a moment, Connor handed the two balls to the boys, which they both eagerly took. There was silence between them for a moment, before Heath spoke up. "What are these?"

"Remember Chakari?" The boys nodded. "He is a part of an elemental bird trio that is very hard to find. But through a lot of festivals, I managed to pick up all of them. The one you're holding, Heath," He gestured at the ball, "Is Faiyabado, which will evolve into a phoenix. The one you're holding, William," He pointed to the other ball, "Is Mizutori, which will evolve into a pelican. I'm sure, using your knowledge," He stopped to mutter under his breath, "At least one of you, anyway," Before speaking normally again, "You can deduce what typings they are."

They were silent for a moment, before Connor spoke again. "Speaking of which, would you like to give them a nickname?"  
Heath cleared his throat, gaining the two boys' attention. "I'd like to nickname mine."  
"Hand me your Pokédex for a moment." Connor asked. Heath gave it to him without a second thought, causing William to elbow him in the arm, looking angrily at him. Heath mouthed the words 'sorry' before turning back to Connor. "So, what do you want to name him?"  
Heath stared at the ball for a moment, before looking back up. "Genesis."  
Connor tapped a few things on the Pokédex+, before finally nodding and handing it back to Heath. "There you go. Now, whenever you call Faiyabado, 'Genesis', he will respond."  
Heath nodded as Connor turned to William. "How about you, then?"  
"I'm fine." William responded as he transported the Cherish Ball back into his bag, slipping his Pokédex+ into the side pocket of his shorts.  
"Suit yourself." Connor turned back to Heath, asking him a single question, "Hey, do you mind if I follow you?"

"What?" Heath asked, shocked by the weird and sudden request. Connor shook his head, laughing slightly.  
"Oh no, not like that, I meant can I travel with you. I don't really know this region too well, so going with a local might be a good idea."  
"Hold that thought, Connor." William spoke, getting up from the couch. "I just need to speak to Heath privately about something." He gestured for Heath to follow him, which he did.

They moved to a wall near a line of computers, before William punched Heath in the arm, who yelped at the sudden pain.  
"What was that for?" He hissed, holding his arm.  
"What did I just say? Why did you just give him your Pokédex out of the blue? Who knows what he might've done with it!" William cried quietly, trying not to bring attention to themselves.  
"Why did you take the ball then?" Heath hissed back, massaging his arm.  
"Because it was a Cherish Ball! They're only used at events, and I've always wanted one!"  
"Well, other than punch me and get at me for talking to a friend –"  
"He is not a friend!"  
"Talking to a boy, then, what else did you want me for?"  
"I want you to say no to him, who knows what he might do to you?"  
"William, you're making him out to sound like a bad person."  
"That's because he is a bad person!"  
"You don't know that! You don't have any proof, do you?"

There was silence between them for a moment, before Heath spoke up again.  
"If you want so badly to prove he's a bad person, then I'm going to say yes to his request."  
William looked at him in a mixture of disbelief and shock. "What do you mean, you're going to say yes?!"  
"It means I'm going to keep an eye on him. Follow his actions and every move, like a pokémon."  
William raised an eyebrow, closing his open jaw. "Like a pokémon?"  
"You said you'd do it, so I'll do it to a human instead."  
"I said I'd be careful, not that I'd watch every single step they take."  
"Well, do you want to prove it or not?"  
There was silence, before William began walking back. "Fine, but you better tell me everything he's doing, especially if its suspicious."  
"Deal." Heath followed him, sitting back down with Connor. "So, about your request…"  
"Yeah?" Connor asked, his face lit up.  
"I don't have a problem with it." Heath responded, watching Connor silently cheer. "Plus, it'd be good to have some company on my journey."  
Connor nodded, before raising an eyebrow. "What exactly is your journey?"  
The boys went silent for a moment, before Heath shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno. I'd probably get the gym badges and everything, but I wouldn't call that my 'journey' really – just a task I'd like to accomplish in the future."  
"Well," William spoke up, grabbing the boys' attention. "I think I'd rather fill out the Pokédex, and see if I really can fill out all the pages."  
"Good luck with that." Connor responded, seemingly taking no interest in his goals. William glared at Connor, before looking the other way, with Heath sighing sadly.  
"I guess we'd better head off then." Heath stood up, grabbing his bag. William and Connor soon followed suite. "I'd like to hit the Poké Mart before we go, but I think that's all we really need to do in Moki Town."  
"Yeah, we kind of overstayed our welcome." William added on, laughing. "What with the battles and all."  
"Then let's hit the road!" Connor finished. The boys stared at him for a moment, before nodding. And with that, the three boys left the centre, parting their separate ways, heading on their own journeys, with Heath's chapter only just beginning.

 **Aaand… Done! So, leaving Moki Town behind, Heath has continued his journey, and who knows what lies in store for him next?  
I'd just like to mention that I may not update in a while, what with schoolwork and all – but I hope you'll appreciate that all the same.  
With that, I'll see you when I next update this story.  
Tally-ho!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Pokémon, Game Freak does. However, the characters used are mine. For terms of use of these characters, environments, and anything else appearing in the story, check my profile.  
Nearly all my assessments at school are over, and holidays are just around the corner, so I should be able to continue to update this story more often. No promises, though.  
Now, let's continue!**

Heath slipped out of the Poké Mart, holding a small plastic bag containing a few potions. Connor, who was sitting on a park bench quite close by, heard the door open and looked up at Heath, a bored expression across his face. He began to bounce his leg on the ground unknowingly. Heath sat down next to him, placing his bag down and opening it up.

"You good?" Connor asked, peering into Heath's bag. The boy in question began pulling out the contents of the plastic bag and putting them away.

"Should be. How big is Gangrene anyway?" Heath asked, putting another potion into his bag.

"Eh, shouldn't be too big. Dad said it was a small forest, but that was mainly due to the jeep rides."  
"Jeep rides?" Heath zipped up his bag, and looked towards Connor in confusion.  
"All because of Tokosan." Connor sighed, pulling off his own bag.  
"Tokosan?" Heath asked. "Sounds like a Blossom pokémon."  
"It's not from the Blossom region." Connor explained, pulling out an old book. There was a simple title on the cover, with the words, 'Mythical Pokémon of the Past.' "But some believe it is related to Loofs."

Heath felt his gaze slip towards the book. Connor noticed, opening the novel and flipping through the pages, until he arrived at a chapter titled, 'Bukyo: Myths and Legends'. Turning the page, he saw a wolf standing on its hind legs, with a thick coating of grey fur and a ripped dark green shirt. Thick, sharp fangs could be easily seen through it's open jaw. It had thick claws and bright yellow eyes, with a thin black pupil.  
"Tokosan, the werewolf pokémon." Connor explained, pointing at the words within the book. "Per reports left by former employees of the project, this pokémon was experimented upon constantly until it morphed into this beast. It was nicknamed Toko by the NBSC. However, during transportation to the BSF –"  
"Bukyo Science Facility?" Heath asked, his curious peaking. "National Blossom Science Centre? Why would they transport it?"  
Connor sighed. "No one knows – it just happened. Anyway…" He cleared his throat, searching the book until he found where he was up to. "During transportation to the BSF, Toko escaped, and fled to Gangrene Forest, beginning to feed upon those that came through. The NBSC told Bukyo that Toko hated light, so they began the Gangrene Construction."  
"I heard that from Mom… She seemed so distressed about it, but didn't tell me why." Heath explained, mulling it over. He scrunched up the plastic bag, now finished with it.

"After the Gangrene Construction, many residents gave the wolf the name, 'Tokosan', to remind us of the Blossom heritage, and how they basically sent us a nightmare. It almost caused a war when Toko was released." Connor turned the page, reading the last of Tokosan's entry. "Since then, the residents have had a fear of continuing onward, so the council created jeep rides that allowed for quick travel through Gangrene, across the lighted path. If one were to walk across the path, rather than take a jeep, it raises the chance of seeing, or worse, being attacked by Tokosan."  
Connor closed the book, sighed, and slipped it back into his bag. Heath stood up, walking over to a nearby bin to chuck out the plastic bag. "The Pokédex won't tell you any of that."  
Heath walked back, picking up his travel bag and throwing it over his shoulder. "Why not?"  
"The professor of Bukyo wrote the 'dex. He's corrupt." Connor explained, picking up his own bag.  
"Corrupt?"  
"All of Team Genetic is corrupt. Trust me, I know."  
Heath went quiet, shuffling his feet slightly as an awkward silence covered the duo. The sun began to slip back behind the trees.  
Connor coughed, breaking the silence. "We should probably go get a room at the centre. We'll head off in the morning."  
Heath nodded, and the two entered the centre.

* * *

Heath groaned as sunlight poured in on his face. He blinked a few times, before hearing a soft 'meow' come from near the edge of the bed. Heath looked up to see Kuba staring at him with her bright blue eyes.  
"Hey Kuba." He leaned forward and stroked Kuba's fur, causing her to purr. She pushed herself more into his hand, before Heath brought his hand back.  
"Ku…" Kuba whispered upsettingly, watching Heath pull back the covers and stand up. All he was wearing was a pair of boxers – it'd been a very humid night. She stretched, watching Heath do the same.

As Heath finished stretching, he sighed, his body feeling all mushy and lazy. He opened his bag, pulling out a pair of camo shorts and a print t-shirt of a colour wheel in the form of paint splatters. He lay them on the bed, before walking towards the bathroom.  
He finished his business, took a shower, and brushed his hair back, before walking back out and getting dressed, finishing his look by slapping his Pex cap back on.  
"Come on Kuba." Heath grabbed the rest of his Poké Balls, before throwing them forward. Through the flash of light there were three loud cries, and as the light dispersed Shimari, Fostal and Genesis sat and hovered on the ground. "You too guys. Let's get something to eat." Heath finished. Grabbing his bag, he stuffed the Poké Balls in his pocket and left the room.

As Heath payed for his room, Connor slouched down the stairs, still half-asleep. Heath raised an eyebrow, his pokémon looking at Heath's newfound partner with curiosity.  
"Didn't you sleep last night?" Heath asked, moving back to let Connor pay.  
"I'm not a morning person." Connor responded, giving the nurse behind the counter fifty dollars and walking off. The nurse converted the cash into change, and placed it on the counter, watching Connor walk away. Heath grabbed the money, and ran over to keep up with Connor.  
"You forgot your change." Heath handed him the money, and Connor simply pocketed it. "Where do you want to get breakfast?"  
"Somewhere that serves coffee and eggs." Connor responded, stretching. "I need it."

* * *

"Thanks." Connor nodded, smiling, as the waiter placed a plate of poached eggs and sourdough toast down in front of him, followed by a flat white. Heath smiled himself, licking his lips as a cheese and bacon omelette was served to him, alongside a perfect mocha. The two picked up their utensils and began to eat, chatting amongst themselves while talking, while Heath's pokémon ate from bowls of Poké Chow.  
"Apparently," Heath stopped to take his first bite, swallowing it before continuing. "Fudori City sells stuff for travelling."  
"Really?" Connor asked with his mouth full, watching bits of egg fly out of his mouth.  
"Yeah." Heath ignored the pieces of food on the table. "After our gym battle, I'll go see about buying some gear for the trek ahead."  
"Wouldn't that cost a lot?" Connor put down his fork and knife to count on his fingers. Once he reached nine, he shook his head and hands. "You wouldn't have enough."  
"That's why we're not taking the jeeps."  
Connor choked on his food, spitting some back onto his plate. He took a great gulp of his coffee, before gently placing it back onto its plate, breathing heavily. The outburst scared the small creatures' underneath, and caused a few people to look at them. "Sorry, what? Are you insane?"  
During Connor's outburst, Heath himself had pushed back into his chair, looking at Connor with both worry and surprise. "No? What do you mean?"  
"Did you not hear a word I said about Tokosan yesterday?" Connor continued, staring darkly into Heath's eyes. "You miss the jeeps, you have a higher risk of getting captured!"  
Heath took another small bite out of his omelette. "But that book," he paused to take a few gulps of his mocha, "That book said Myths on the front cover."  
"So?" Connor asked, attempting to calm himself down after the initial shock.

"It means that it has a chance of not being true." Heath calmly responded, taking the last few bites out of his omelette. "Besides, if anything goes wrong, we have Thinner Blot."  
Connor stopped panicking and looked up. "Thinner Blot?" He asked, confused. "Who and what is a Thinner Blot?"  
"Your weird pokémon." Heath responded, finishing off the last of his omelette and nudging his head towards the strange ball, which was about to fall out of Connor's pocket. Realising this, Connor grabbed the ball and slipped it carefully into his bag.

"That – he isn't Thinner Blot." Connor responded, placing his bag carefully onto the floor. His strange nature caught the attention of Genesis, who approached the bag and began nudging it.  
"Kub." Kuba spoke out, catching Genesis's attention. "Ku, Kuba Kuba, ba."  
"Fai, Faiya, ya." Genesis responded, continuing to nudge the bag. Kuba slapped her face with her paw, dragging it down her face, before placing it back down on the ground and staring with intimidation at Genesis.  
"Ku…ba."  
"Faiya, bado ba." This time, Genesis ignored Kuba, causing Kuba to growl. She pounced, grabbing onto Genesis with her claws and pulling him back. Genesis cried out in surprise, but before the two could begin brawling, Fostal ran in front of them, Shimari acting as a bodyguard in case things went wrong.  
"Fos, Fostal Fos!" She called, trying to get their attention. "Fostal!"  
Kuba pulled herself back, beginning to feel guilty, and her ears fell. "Kuba, Ku."  
"Faiya." Genesis sighed himself, and the team finally fell quiet and calm.  
At the table, Connor had just finished explaining what the Thinner Blot actually was.  
"So, its name is Ottoko?" Heath asked, finishing off the last of his mocha.  
"Yes." Connor too was finishing off the last of his flat white, as their cleared plates were taken away.  
"And your father… 'created' it?" Heath placed his empty mug on the table, slipping back into his chair.  
"Yes. This was his first creation." The waiter came by with a bill, which Connor payed for. "Now," He stood up, grabbing his bag off the ground. "We are going to catch a jeep into Fudori City."  
"Wait, what?" Heath asked, standing up himself and grabbing his bag.  
"Let me finish, Heath." Connor explained, pushing his chair in. "After we arrive, you can do whatever you want, and then, if you want, you can walk into Gangrene Forest and catch some of the pokémon."  
Heath called back his pokémon, mulling over the deal in his head. "…Fine, that sounds alright."  
"Good." Connor shifted the bag so it was more comfortable on his shoulder. "At least then you won't get lost, or caught."

The two left the café after Connor took his change. As the two headed towards the exit to Moki Town, Connor looked up into the sky, as the heat soon began to crawl in. "It's around ten-thirty. We should be able to get there by eleven." He looked back towards Heath. "You good to go?"  
"Yep!" Heath exclaimed, giving Connor a thumbs-up.  
Connor nodded, a smile etching itself onto his face. "Alright then, let's head!"

* * *

Heath and Connor clambered onto the jeep, their driver sitting comfortably in the front. "So, you boys new?" He asked, looking through the driving mirror.  
"Hm?" Heath asked, looking up at the mirror, hauling his bag through the door to place at his feet.  
"Yeah, just came from Poketto." Connor responded, his bag already placed carefully on the seat next to him. "But I'm aiming to fill the Pokédex, so I'll probably head to the safe area near Fudori."  
"Ah... sounds good then." The driver responded, angling the mirror a bit. "Yeah, this forest's pretty dangerous. You shouldn't be surprised at how big the security is there."  
"What? How big is it?" Heath asked, piquing his curiosity.  
"It's almost like a small military outpost." The driver explained, turning the jeep on via the key. "But if you stay within the boundaries, you should be fine."  
The jeep bounced thrice as the engine revved to life, as the driver rolled down the window via a handle. He stared out it to look back as he reversed the jeep out of the spot it was in.  
"See what I mean?" Connor whispered to Heath, nudging him to get his attention. "You sneak through that forest, you could be caught by something else."  
"Is it really _that_ dangerous?" Heath whispered back, shifting his bag in between his legs.  
"Yes, it is." Connor stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "They've done a lot to protect the citizens of both Moki and Fudori."  
The driver flipped the jeep into another gear, pushing on forward and entering the dark forest of Gangrene. As they slipped into the brush, Heath could hear the cries and chatter of Moki Town slip away into silence.

Once they were truly in Gangrene Forest, Heath struck up another conversation with Connor. "What else is in that book?"  
"Huh?" Connor responded after a bit, realising Heath was talking to him. "What book?"  
"Your 'mythical myths' book." Heath responded, as he turned to face his body towards Connor the best he could. Connor sighed, and opened his bag to pull out the old book.  
"This one?" Connor asked, looking up from the cover.  
"Yeah, that one." Connor looked at the cover again, before looking up at Heath and handing him the book.  
"You can have a look through it. Bukyo is on page sixty-three." Connor responded. Once Heath had accepted the book, he leant back, crossed his legs, and continued to stare out the window at the lit and leaf-littered path.  
Heath opened the book, flipping through the pages until he arrived at the same page Connor was on yesterday – 'Bukyo: Myths and Legends'. He flipped to the first page, and began to skim through the pages, looking at the pokémon. One of them seemed to be a griffon that protected Cloudtop Village at Hunter Island, and another was a dragon trio with the same types as the starters. Finally, he arrived at the last page, which showed two big pokémon. One was purple with monstrous appendages, and the other was a bearded blue creature with a gavel in its three-pawed hand. He read the words aloud, as their travel reached its finishing point. "Akuon and Saibuntei…"  
Connor, feeling the jeep jolt as it slipped into reverse, woke up rather quickly. He looked around wildly, before remembering where he was, and sighing. "Hey, Heath."  
Heath, pulled out of his curious stupor, looked up. "Huh?"  
"We're here, so pass us our book back." Heath nodded, closing the heavy book and handing it back to Connor, who slipped it back into his bag. The jeep stopped moving, finally silent after their long journey.  
"Alright boys, welcome to Fudori City!" The driver exclaimed, unbuckling his seat belt so he could turn around face the boys. His hand, however, still sat comfortably on the steering wheel. "The safe area is to the right of here. If you find the stadium, head south and you'll see it."  
"Where's the stadium?" Heath asked as Connor opened the door.  
"Take a left from the Pokémon Centre. You'll find it in no time." The driver sighed deeply, sifting in his seat. "You boys be careful, now. This land isn't as peaceful as it used to be."  
"Thanks for the lift." Connor nodded towards the driving mirror. The driver smiled, and waved his hand in the air.  
"Anytime boys, anytime." Heath smiled, giving the driver a twenty-dollar tip, before exiting the vehicle with Connor. The two stood on the sidewalk, watching the jeep drive off back into Gangrene.  
"Right, now that we're in Fudori," Connor began, walking off and motioning for Heath to follow, "We should explore the area and find the centre. Then, we'll rest for the time being."  
"But what about the safe area?" Heath asked, walking side by side with Connor.  
"Safe area can wait – we'll need proper supplies if we want to keep going. You said it yourself, after all." Connor explained as they reached the foot of the grassy city.  
"But you said I didn't have the money!" Heath yelped.  
"I can get the money from my father." Connor finished. "Now come on."  
Heath sighed sadly, before continuing at a sullener pace. "Fine…"

 **And that's a wrap! I will mention that originally, I wrote chapter 5 immediately after chapter 4. However, I felt that the chapter was rushed and boring, and made the characters feel like different people, so I scrapped it. Hopefully this one will be much better than the original Chapter 5.**

 **I may take a short break to release the full Pokédex of Bukyo (which, if anyone's wondering, is pronounced Bu – Ki – Yo) if anyone wants it as a separate story on my account.  
In any case, I'll see you all in the next installment of Pokémon Maroon.**

 **Tally-ho!**


End file.
